Parvotettix

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Parvotettix
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Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Ensifera
Family: Rhaphidophoridae
Subfamily: Macropathinae
Tribe: Macropathini
Genus: Parvotettix
Richards, 1968

Parvotettix is an extant [1] genus of cave cricket [2] from the order Orthoptera in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to Tasmania, Australia. [3] [1] The genus was established in 1968 by Aola Richards and contains six species she described. [4] Parvotettix is a sister group to the subfamily Macropathinae, forming a paraphyletic Australian grouping. [1] [5]

Contents

Habitat

Parvotettix occupy epigean, subterranean habitats. [6] Parvotettix were initially discovered in limestone caves. [3] Various species within the genus Parvotettix inhabit environmental structures such as mine adits, large rock crevices, tree logs, caves, burrows created by other animals and within houses. [6] Parvotettix thrive in dark, moist environments in colder temperatures [6] [3] at sea level. [2]

There is no threatening conservation risk associated with Parvotettix. [7] Environmental factors that increase vulnerability for Parvotettix include predation by rodents that are introduced to the area, interspecific competition, climate change impacts and illegal capture by humans. [7]

Geographic distribution of members of the genus Parvotettix, in Tasmania, Australia. Data was retrieved from inaturalist sightings of Parvotettix. Map of Australia displaying geographic distribution of Parvotettix.png
Geographic distribution of members of the genus Parvotettix, in Tasmania, Australia. Data was retrieved from inaturalist sightings of Parvotettix.

Geographical origin

The lineage Parvotettix is sister to all cave cricket species in the Southern Hemisphere, [1] suggesting dispersal from Tasmania around the globe. [8] None of the Macropathinae have wings so their distribution has been suggested to date to Gondwana breakup. [8] [1] The six species of Parvotettix are not closely related to other Australian genera in Tasmania (e.g. Micropathus ) or genera in south-eastern mainland (e.g. Novotettix ). [2] [1] The dispersal of Parvotettix from or to Tasmania may have been facilitated by a land bridge which connected the areas of Wilson's Promontory, Victoria and Flinders Island, Tasmania in the Pleistocene period until approximately 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. [2] Species of Parvotettix have been observed on Cape Barren Island and Flinders Island. [2] Relationships among the six Parvotettix species might be explained by geographic isolation and connection as during the Pleistocene era the Furneaux Islands and north-eastern Tasmania were joint together, [2] and 1,500 years after the linkage between Wilson's Promontory and Flinders Island, a land bridge formed joining Flinders Island and Tasmania. [2]

Morphology

Parvotettix are wingless, [1] have short setae covering the body surface, long thin legs with apical spines and long antennae that narrows near the tip. [9] Parvotettix have a segmented body where from segment four, the length of each segment is approximately the same whilst segments become reduced in size. [9] Maxillary palps with the third and fourth segments being of approximate length to each other. [9] They also possess coxa and a spine. [9]

Species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhaphidophoridae</span> Family of insects

The orthopteran family Rhaphidophoridae of the suborder Ensifera has a worldwide distribution. Common names for these insects include cave crickets, camel crickets, spider crickets, and sand treaders. Those occurring in New Zealand are typically referred to as jumping or cave wētā. Most are found in forest environments or within caves, animal burrows, cellars, under stones, or in wood or similar environments. All species are flightless and nocturnal, usually with long antennae and legs. More than 500 species of Rhaphidophoridae are described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ensifera</span> Suborder of cricket-like animals

Ensifera is a suborder of insects that includes the various types of crickets and their allies including: true crickets, camel crickets, bush crickets or katydids, grigs, weta and Cooloola monsters. This and the suborder Caelifera make up the order Orthoptera. Ensifera is believed to be a more ancient group than Caelifera, with its origins in the Carboniferous period, the split having occurred at the end of the Permian period. Unlike the Caelifera, the Ensifera contain numerous members that are partially carnivorous, feeding on other insects, as well as plants.

Dendroplectron aucklandensis the Auckland Island wētā, is a cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, the only member of the genus Dendroplectron. It is endemic to the subantarctic Auckland Islands of New Zealand.

<i>Macropathus</i> Genus of orthopteran insects

Macropathus is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Isoplectron</i> Genus of orthopteran insects

Isoplectron is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae with three species currently recognized. The genus is endemic to New Zealand and distributed throughout the country.

Insulanoplectron is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, with just one species: the Snares Island Wētā. Insulanoplectron spinosum is endemic to the subantartic Snares Island of New Zealand, where it is considered to be naturally uncommon. Wētā are nocturnal crickets found all around the world. During the day on the Snares, wētā can be found hiding in seabird burrows.

<i>Novoplectron</i> Genus of orthopteran insects

Novoplectron is a monotypic genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to the Chatham Islands. Cave wētā are nocturnal, wingless crickets that occupy humid habitats. Novoplectron wētā generally live under stones and in burrows of seabirds, such as broad-billed prions, mutton birds and storm petrels.

<i>Pharmacus</i> Genus of orthopteran insects

Pharmacus is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand. All species are alpine adapted and found at high elevations in the South Island. They live among rocks on high mountain ridges, often well above glaciers and vegetation. Pharmacus has a geographical range that extends from Nelson south to central Otago and Fiordland. They are small insects with a body length of approximately 14-20mm. In this genus, females are larger than males. All species exhibit dark brown to black pigmentation of the body and legs. They have a dense clothing of setae and a serrated ovipositor. When active they are lively jumpers. For example, Pharmacus montanus is known as the Mount Cook flea because of its habit of leaping out of rock crevices on to mountain climbers.

<i>Pleioplectron</i> Genus of orthopteran insects

Pleioplectron is a genus of cave wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand. These wētā are fairly common at night among the leaf litter in native forest in the South Island of New Zealand. The species look very similar to species of Miotopus, another New Zealand endemic genus, recently resurrected.

<i>Tasmanoplectron isolatum</i> Species of insect

Tasmanoplectron isolatum is a rare nocturnal species of cave cricket, and is the only species represented in the genus Tasmanoplectron, belonging to the family Rhaphidophoridae. In 1971, Aola M. Richards was first to describe this species in Tasmania, Australia, where its geographical distribution is restricted to. The genus is thought to have affinities with New Zealand fauna due to its marked differences from the other Australian Rhaphidophoridae.

<i>Pachyrhamma waitomoensis</i> Species of orthopteran insect

Pachyrhamma waitomoensis, known as the Waitomo cave weta, is a large species of cave weta, native to the Waitomo district of New Zealand.

<i>Pachyrhamma acanthoceras</i> Species of orthopteran insect

Pachyrhamma acanthoceras, also known as the Auckland cave wētā, is a large species of cave wētā endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Dolichopoda</i> Genus of cricket-like animals

Dolichopoda is a genus of cave crickets in the tribe Dolichopodaini, subfamily Dolichopodainae. They are distributed in the Mediterranean basin in southern Europe and western Asia.

<i>Pachyrhamma edwardsii</i> Species of orthopteran insect

Pachyrhamma edwardsii is a species of wētā, in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to New Zealand. This species is found in caves, or large cavities where there is high humidity and little plant or animal life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wētā</span> Informal group of orthopteran insects

Wētā is the common name for a group of about 100 insect species in the families Anostostomatidae and Rhaphidophoridae endemic to New Zealand. They are giant flightless crickets, and some are among the heaviest insects in the world. Generally nocturnal, most small species are carnivores and scavengers while the larger species are herbivorous. Although some endemic birds likely prey on them, wētā are disproportionately preyed upon by introduced mammals, and some species are now critically endangered.

<i>Talitropsis sedilloti</i> Species of insect

Talitropsis sedilloti is a species of flightless wētā, in the family Rhaphidophoridae, endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. This species is common in forests throughout New Zealand and during the day can be found hiding in holes in tree branches.

Dr Aola Mary Richards was a New Zealand entomologist specialising in the study of New Zealand and Australian cave crickets, or wētā (Rhaphidophoridae), and Australian ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae). She was the first New Zealand woman to gain a PhD in biology.

Cavernotettix is a genus of cave crickets in the family Rhaphidophoridae, in South-Eastern Australia and Tasmania. There are five species in the genus Cavernotettix. The genus was first described by New Zealand entomologist Aola Richards in 1966.

<i>Novotettix</i> Genus of insects

Novotettix is a monotypic genus of cave cricket/wētā in the family Rhaphidophoridae endemic to south-east Australia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Beasley-Hall, Perry G.; Tierney, Simon M.; Weinstein, Phillip; Austin, Andrew D. (September 2018). "A revised phylogeny of macropathine cave crickets (Orthoptera: Rhaphidophoridae) uncovers a paraphyletic Australian fauna". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 126: 153–161. Bibcode:2018MolPE.126..153B. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2018.04.024. PMID   29678644. S2CID   5021183.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Richards, Aola (December 1972). "The distribution and possible origins of Tasmanian cave crickets" (PDF). In Proceedings 8th National Conference, Australian Speleological Federation: 85–87.
  3. 1 2 3 Richards, Aola (5 December 1971). "The Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of Australia. Part 9. The distribution and possible origins of Tasmanian Rhaphidophoridae, with descriptions of two new species" (PDF). Pacific Insects. 13 (3–4): 575–587.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "genus Parvotettix Richards, 1968: Orthoptera Species File". orthoptera.speciesfile.org. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
  5. ↑ Dowle, Eddy J.; Trewick, Steven A.; Morgan-Richards, Mary (2024). "Fossil-calibrated phylogenies of Southern cave wētā show dispersal and extinction confound biogeographic signal". Royal Society Open Science. 11 (2). Bibcode:2024RSOS...1131118D. doi:10.1098/rsos.231118. ISSN   2054-5703. PMC   10864783 . PMID   38356874.
  6. 1 2 3 Richards, Aola (20 August 1974). "The Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of Australia. Part II. New species from the Bass Strait islands and Tasmania" (PDF). Pacific Insects. 16: 245–260.
  7. 1 2 "Cave Cricket - Threatened Species Link". www.threatenedspecieslink.tas.gov.au. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  8. 1 2 Allegrucci, Giuliana; Sbordoni, Valerio (2019). "Insights into the molecular phylogeny of Rhaphidophoridae, an ancient, worldwide lineage of Orthoptera". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 138: 126–138. Bibcode:2019MolPE.138..126A. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2019.05.032. ISSN   1055-7903. PMID   31132518. S2CID   167220487.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Richards, Aola (10 May 1968). "The Rhaphidophoridae (Orthoptera) of Australia, part 6: two new species from Northern Tasmania" (PDF). Pacific Insects. 10 (1): 168.
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